ISLAMABAD, March 20: Pakistan on Thursday deplored the US-led military action against Iraq and called for giving priority to avert humanitarian disaster for the Iraqi people.

“Pakistan deplores the initiation of military action against Iraq,” Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told a news conference which was also addressed by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Mr Kasuri said military action should not prolong.

He said Pakistan was not among those 35 countries supporting attack on Iraq. “Whether they are 55 or 35 countries, we are certainly not among them and will never endorse any military action.”

Asked why the government was just deploring and was not condemning the military action, Mr Kasuri said Pakistan had made its position very clear. “But if you insist then I would advise you to consult Oxford dictionary and see the meaning of deploring”.

He stressed that the Security Council must resume its primary responsibility under the UN charter for maintenance of international peace and security.

Reading out a statement, Mr Kasuri said civilian causalities and damage to civic services and holy places must be strictly avoided. Territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be preserved as well as its rights over its natural resources. The fundamental rights of the people of Iraq, including their right to governance, should be respected, he said.

Nevertheless, he pointed out, this course of events should not be considered as setting any precedent in the conduct of inter- state relations. Pakistan, he said, firmly believed in preserving the centrality of the United Nations, observance of Charter of Principles by all states, and implementation of the Security Council resolutions without any discrimination.

In reply to a question, Mr Kasuri said India could not launch any preemptive strike against Pakistan as had been done by the US against Iraq and added that three wars between India and Pakistan as well as the last year’s deployment of Indian forces on Pakistani borders could not deter Islamabad to change its principled stand on various issues.

“Let me very clearly tell you that Pakistan cannot be browbeaten by any country as the unity of our people and preparedness for war is our best weapon against any aggressor,” he said.

Mr Kasuri said the Security Council must uphold international legality equitably. The council, he pointed out, must implement all its resolutions, including those on Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine whose peoples had been struggling and dying for over 50 years.

Pakistan, he said, had consistently called on Iraq to fulfil its UN Security Council disarmament obligations fully and quickly which did not happen. “In the Security Council and outside we had urged the permanent members to evolve a consensus, as this was their traditional responsibility, to ensure the unity of the council, which would have been the best solution for resolving the Iraqi crisis.”

However, he said, it was unfortunate that a P-5 consensus could not be reached, and that the efforts of the non-permanent members, including Pakistan, could not succeed in bridging this divide.

Pakistan, he said, would continue to work within the Security Council and elsewhere towards the restoration of peace and security in Iraq and the region. He said Pakistan was ready to send humanitarian assistance to Iraq.

Asked what Pakistan could do to prevent the destruction of the Iraqi people, he said: “If the countries like Russia, France and Germany cannot do anything what can Pakistan do?”

Mr Kasuri did not believe that the United Nations had been rendered useless. The role of the world body was very important to deal with international affairs, he emphasized.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said law and order situation was under control and there was no need to be worried about as the government was alert and vigilant.

He said the government had made all arrangements, including for sufficient stocks of oil and other essential commodities, to meet the situation.

In reply to a question about Pakistanis in Kuwait and Qatar, the foreign minister said: “We are carefully watching the situation and if there will be any need we will run special PIA flights to evacuate our people from there.”

Asked why no unanimous resolution on the Iraq crisis was adopted in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the information minister alleged it was due to a lack of interest by opposition members. “They (opposition) had convened the session but many of them were not present in the house which led to a quorum problem and hence the session was postponed by the speaker,” Mr Ahmad said.